It’s not quite an all-you-can-shoot buffet, but a limited number of free deer hunting licences and an extended season are the latest tools being used in the ongoing effort to eradicate bovine tuberculosis near Riding Mountain National Park. So far, 140 free deer harvest tags have been handed out by Manitoba Conservation covering the special
Free hunting offered near Riding Mountain to beat TB
Organic farmers ponder the future of food when the “cheap” energy era ends
They weren’t shying away from the big issues at the recent Organic Connections conference here. Renowned sustainable farming expert Fred Kirschenmann declared the days of “cheap” energy to be coming to an end. “It’s not a question of exactly when we run out of oil, natural gas, or coal — it’s when it’s no longer
Hopes high for soon-to-be-appointed TB co-ordinator
The imminent appointment of a TB co-ordinator will hopefully end the “bureaucratic gridlock” and reform the effort to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in the Riding Mountain area, says the general manager of Manitoba Beef Producers. “It hasn’t been announced, but it’s very close,” Cam Dahl told attendees at the association’s recent District 12 meeting. “It’s something
Community pasture takeover plan revealed
Proposal calls for a new, non-profit corporation with seven elected members to take over former federally managed community pastures
The federal government is pulling out, but a new boss is taking up the reins. A steering committee for the Association of Manitoba Community Pastures, a new not-for-profit group, has developed a business plan for taking over the operation of a million acres of formerly federally managed grazing rangelands in the province. That’s good news,Manitoba Livestock Expo brings in nearly 600 head of show cattle
Best turnout in recent memory indicates optimism returning to province’s cattle sector after a dismal decade
If the record number of entries at the Manitoba Livestock Expo is any indication, the province’s beef sector is well on its way to recovery after a dismal decade. Event co-chairs Albert Rimke and Ron Kristjansson said about 570 head of purebred and commercial cattle were brought in to compete in over a dozen showDogs or donkeys?
Two farms side by side in the coyote-infested Interlake credit guardian animals for eliminating losses due to predation
Sheep producers Lorna Wall and Rozanne Nevakshonoff are Interlake neighbours who disagree over whether guardian dogs or donkeys do the best job of protecting their herds. But they do agree on one thing: guardian animals are their best defence against the coyotes, wolves, bears and cougars roaming their sparsely populated farms near Poplarfield. Both sayFort Ellice site sold to Nature Conservancy of Canada
The historic Fort Ellice site and 3,500 acres of farmland owned by Arthur and Christine Fouillard of St. Lazare has been sold to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Kevin Teneycke, Brandon-based director of conservation for NCC, said that property was acquired in late June. Now known as the HBC Reserve, the parcel near St.
Sheep shearers in short supply
The Manitoba Sheep Association is calling on the province to help address a looming shortage of top-notch sheep shearers. “A professional sheep shearer can do 200 head a day,” said Lucien Lesage, president of the provincial association. “I don’t want to insult the ones here, but a lot of them do only 50 to 60
Calves died from disease, owner told
Turns out it wasn’t aliens, cultists, or a drive-by shooter. The killer of three calves north of Treherne has been determined to have been blackleg. Owners Chelsea and Gene Hacault reported the sudden and suspicious deaths of the two red Simmental steers and one heifer last week. “It turned out to be blackleg,” she said
XL takeover latest in a series by global meat giant JBS
News that XL Foods, one of the two major cattle-slaughtering plants in Canada, is cashing in its chips after a devastating beef recall raises an important question. Just who is JBS, the company taking it over? Founded in 1953 by Jose Batista Sobrinho, it began as a tiny, five-head-per-day abattoir in Anapolis, Brazil. Today, according
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
